More than one in five Scots have bought food on social media according to new research that warned of the risk from online sellers who lack the knowledge to produce safe food.
The regulator Food Standards Scotland (FSS) studied ready-to-eat food sold over Facebook Marketplace to better understand the scale and safety of food sold this way.
It found that 21% of Scots, equivalent to nearly 1 million people, are estimated to have purchased food via social media, highlighting the growing significance of social platforms in people’s food choices.
Bakery and confectionery items account for almost two-thirds of the ready-to-eat foods sold on Facebook Marketplace, while adverts for composite products including things like afternoon teas or buffets make up around one-fifth of listings.
Take-away meals, either for collection or to be delivered hot, account for around 12% of foods listed for sale.
Although high-risk items like sushi and cured meats account for a small percentage (1.2%) of listings, FSS said their presence underscored the need to ensure that sellers understand how to produce food safely.
The research found that many adverts don’t include ingredient or allergen information and relied instead on communication between buyers and sellers to ensure buyers can make informed choices.
“Social media platforms are transforming how people buy food and this research has provided a baseline to help us to understand the variety and scale of this method of selling in Scotland,” said Karen Pearson, senior scientific advisor at Food Standards Scotland. “This convenience, however, might come with risks and it is essential that both buyers and sellers understand the nature of these types of foods so they can make informed choices.”
Pearson added that sellers may not have the knowledge to produce safe food, particularly if they are producing higher risk foods.
FSS said it would use the findings to develop tailored guidance for small-scale sellers on social media to ensure they are aware of which activities require registration as a food business operator, and the obligations on those producing food for sale.
In the UK, the three market leading delivery platforms, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, have signed up to an aggregators food safety charter by which they will only accept registered food businesses onto their platforms and require a minimum food hygiene rating system rating.
The Food Standards Agency hopes that the big online marketplaces like Facebook and eBay will similarly take steps to ensure sellers are aware of the need to register as a business and adhere to food safety law.
Leave a Reply